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Videos

A lot of us like to read about beauty in blogs and magazines but let’s face it, when it comes to learning about the latest tips, tricks, and products nothing beats seeing it all presented on video. YouTube, for example, is teeming with beauty information and a whole lot of it really useful. This is a beautiful artwork of top YouTuber Michelle Phan who was one of the if not the most major video pioneer in YouTube beauty with now nearly 7.4 million subscribers. Art is by user sheepskeleton on Deviant Art. She was my first video inspiration when it came to makeup and I don’t care what others say about her starting off as an amateur, she created a brand for herself, she is where she is because of her innovation and awesome talent and her videos eventually led me to real professionals online.

I’ve placed here in this video selection a blend of professional experts and vloggers and most of them are their best of 2014 videos. I’ve also thrown in a couple that aren’t Best of Videos. I’m still trying to create a gallery where you can see the videos embedded here. While I’m still trying to fix that just click on any video’s plain YouTube links listed at the bottom.

I’ve been sleeping a lot, recuperating a lot since Christmas passed. I haven’t allowed my consciousness to slip away like this in years come to think of it. I’ve never been fond of naps. I always thought naps were a waste of time and daylight, that is ’til I realized naps provide a comforting albeit temporary escape from a constantly haphazard world. So slowly I am picking up the pieces before 2015 rolls in and have been screening film trailers online for the sake of it, something I used to do a lot but put away for awhile. This isn’t a movie review because I haven’t seen this movie yet. According to a very particular writer friend Still Alice is excellent and for being in a drama genre he claims it’s done tastefully and that acting isn’t overtly melodramatic (he mentioned “no slapping….”). It is based on the book by NY Times bestselling author Lisa Genova. The trailer moved me so much I just had to say something about it before we try to watch later on. It made me realize there is just so much to be thankful for. After getting that preview I went down to hug my mother.

“I’m not suffering, I’m struggling…”

Another good friend said the book was great, too. The film’s lead cast includes the incomparable Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, and Kate Bosworth all given roles that seem to fit like gloves. At least that’s what I can pick up from the trailer alone. Very simply put it’s a movie about an intelligent woman with the onset symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, the feared degenerative illness where you slowly and literally lose your mind. It supposedly isn’t a light movie, but I don’t mind heavy screen plots as long as what is meaningful is placed at the heart of the story. I guess I was also looking to be stoked for gratefulness, something that’s really important to me towards the end of the year. Looking forward to watching this one, it comes highly recommended so I’m told, here’s the trailer.

Hi, yes I know a bit of a huge setback there huh, but yes I am still here. For those of you who haven’t been following my social media updates on the FB page and Instagram my father had his third hospital confinement since I arrived from New York in April. He was confined in April, in May overnight for something different, and this June for another stroke. While I was in New York he had already suffered from a handful of minor acute strokes and my mother was updating me via mobile while I was abroad. When I came back I found that my father had quite significantly changed from how I remember him before I left for New York City, he was kind of mentally grasping sometimes to complete statements he wanted to make, or he wanted to make a joke but would lose the thought and become sad, and my heart would melt with empathy. God has been faithful because Dad is still well enough to walk around and play golf with assistance, but sadly his memory has been somewhat affected. Right now he has a bunch of medications, follow-up checkups, and a restricted diet we all have to be hawks about since he has no caregiver so I’ve been having to adjust and I’ll admit I haven’t been 100% a saint about it half the time. I’ve been having to deal. Thank you for being understanding in this time of the blog being somewhat blank momentarily but please believe me when I say I really do not intend for it to stay this way for much longer, I want to be back AS IN BACK and with a bang. In fact, I wanted to share something today. While I was looking for some other older music by Regina Spektor I came upon one of her music videos, and while I might be the last person on the planet to see the art direction of her 2012 video release “How” (which is like a modern female rendition of Unchained Melody in my head lol) I was absolutely delighted by the art direction and how beautifully styled Regina was that it has inspired me to blog again and create future features for the blog despite the circumstances.

I like how porcelain skin was made the brief but done in a way that was somewhat vintage but not too dated. I like that the makeup is present, noticeable, but applied in a restrained manner so that it doesn’t clash with the quirky yet effective art direction.

There’s something muted yet simultaneously vibrant at the same time about this video. I love how they made her coral lips the key vibrance in the art direction. A current lipstick favorite right now in the blog community that people are raving about and that I’ve seen look similar online is Clinique’s Matte Mandarin from their new generation Long Last Soft Matte range (which isn’t a dead matte) lipstick and it is not yet available here on counters, I inquired at the Clinique Boutique (don’t you love how that rhymes) at SM Aura. MAC Lady Danger would probably be close but a little more intense orange-y red, but Clinique Matte Mandarin which I saw Ruth of AModelRecommends wear and apply over here on YouTube looks to be somewhat of a better softer match. Embedded below is Regina Spektor’s quirky yet wistful music video for her song “How”.

I always liked to believe that makeup, despite the notion of petty shallowness that surrounds it, is a tool for ministry. Makeup can be brought forward in many more meaningful ways. It is a medium that weaves all sorts of good magic in its own way. Watch the video by the MIMI Foundation in a project entitled “If Only For a Second” here via this link or watch it embedded below. The MIMI Foundation is a French cancer and well-being group. Twenty cancer patients with eyes with their eyes closed make their way into one studio only to reap a moment that will strongly impact their lives. Thank you, Mom, for sharing.

“Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices – today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.” – KEVYN AUCOIN, America’s legendary MUA, 1962-2002

I thought this video tutorial would be perfect for many Filipino women this season, especially those with medium toned polynesian or medium toned oriental ethnicity. It was just uploaded by team CT two hours ago. Watch Charlotte Tilbury’s Party Angel tutorial video here at this link or here embedded below!

I absolutely waited for this. I nagged Pao and Sam Valenciano, ever so dear to me, about when it was coming out, it was shown at the wedding but it wasn’t as complete then as it is now, now it’s perfect. At the time I asked, Paolo said they were still fine tuning it before sharing online.

There are some wedding videos that make an impact even on people who don’t know the couple personally and even make strangers cry, and I’m sure this one is exactly that. It captures the exact mood and embodies the everlasting love, childlike humor, and solid friendship we all experienced during their union last February 7, 2013.

The cinematography just grabs you and pulls you into the wedding with the magic of Bob Nicolas and his onsite team. Of course the direction and comments on the edit by Pao, the groom (who is also an editor) make all the difference. Watching this video FULLSCREEN is the closest experience to being at their wedding if you weren’t there. If you can’t view the embedded video click on this link to watch Pao and Sam’s Wedding on YouTube.

When I was much, much younger I was still an only child and I often got lonely, but then again, later on, not all the time really. A year and a half into my life God blessed me with a cousin named Paolo Valenciano who’s now engaged to be married next February! <3.

The other night, under his fiancee Sam’s command, we usual suspects banded together to surprise him three days before his actual birthday because he’s set to leave for a show in Singapore. I just finished editing a behind the scenes video of what took place that night. You might see some familiar or medyo sikat faces…what I observed after making the video was how laid back and relaxed everyone was. That’s the Paolo vibe taking over, really, because needless to say my cousin is just one really cool dude who is loved by so many. God bless you, Pao, we labshu, enjoy your BIG day tomorrow! Everyone, enjoy this video and celebrate again with us

Most of you know of her and you know the cosmetic range that bears her name.

Watch and hear this ancient video of Elizabeth Arden herself speaking on the eradication of old 1890’s Victorian style posture and the renaissance of posture in the new century with the support of proper exercise. What a gem of a video and I couldn’t help but giggle at the way these women were exercising on the beach, but in fairness I do want to get my splits and handstands back eventually. Temptation Island, anyone?